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Got shouted at the other week by a cyclist on the pavement who informed me 'they'd spent 54 million on cycle paths' and I 'shouldn't be on the road.' I was sat at a set of lights waiting for them to change because the cycle path doesn't go where I needed to go without a massive detour.
I foolishly got involved in a back and forth which ended with him asking me if I paid road tax and me telling him it didn't exist, but I did pay Council Tax which went towards the upkeep of the local infrastructure!
He rode off in a self-righteous huff crying '54 million!'
There’s a couple of bellends locally that make a point to walk up a DH section of an obviously purpose built (big berms, rollers etc) section of bike trail, forcing users to stop to then have a go at them. It’s a purpose built blue trail, built officially and signposted as such but still they try and start trouble.
If I see them, I won’t be stopping.
(Oakwell hall in Leeds, for those that know it)
Never once in my case, riding mostly on Sussex bridleways.
It’ll happen today now, won’t it?
I get this from time to time near me. Any reason from I shouldn’t be on a bridle way, I was going too fast so scared them, I should have a bell, my bell startled them, I only said hello rather than thanking them for moving over and letting me past etc.
My reaction ranges from stopping to see what the issue really is and then explaining why they are wrong (I’ve had one or 2 actually listen and apologise). Sometimes I’ll wave and smile, sometimes i’ll suggest getting a bike might do them good as they’d lose some weight and be in a better mood (this one normally gets a great reaction from the fatties). Sometimes I’ll just ignore it and pretend I haven’t heard them.
Me and a mate received some road rage the other day from some scrote shouting abuse at us, before I could respond mate shouts "I love you, I love you" then laughs histerically like a complete nutter. Took me completely by surprise. That did the trick. Certainly made me proper laugh all the way home, I would have given the driver a few choice words back but this showed me that maybe love IS the answer...or not...it did make me realise lightening the situation was better than antagonising someone driving a car. Only had one incident on a footpath literally in the middle of nowhere and used the "it's a shame isn't it" response take off STW a few years back.
I was told to share the road while riding along a contra flow cycle lane on an otherwise empty road by someone on a bike who wanted to ride the wrong way in the contra flow. I’m still bemused by the wrongness of it.
OP here, for reference this is only the second time anyone has had a go at me for cycling where they think I shouldn't since I moved to Wales in 2012, incidentally it was further down the same track, after a brief and civil chat they thanked me for the information and apologised, I think the problem is it's a nature reserve with a bridleway running through it but poor and somewhat ambiguous signage, it's clear at one end that cycling is permitted ( a picture of a bike on the track on the nature reserve map) but at the other end it just says horse track, their website clearly marks it as a cycle path but obviously people don't check this so just go off on one. I'm very much the slow down, say hello, stop if necessary sort of cyclist and tried to be polite to this bloke but he was having none of it and went straight to def con 1 in seconds, wouldn't listen to a word said and became very threatening, he's a bully who just shouts at the world, I feel for those people but they do rather spoil the world for the rest of us.
When I get challenged about not having a bell I always just smile and say 'sorry I'm too vain to have a bell' most of them either laugh or look bewildered
I got told off for not "having a bell" this morning. And that even "Tom Pidcock has a little bell" (he's a local rider, meant to be quite good apparently).
I pointed out that I had a bell, but was just not good enough to ride down this steep, rocky, rooty trail one-handed ... oh the shame!
My standard answer to "where's your bell!?"...
"It's on my other bike."
.
.
I was riding towards an older gent the other day (on my bike with a bell actually) and he'd definitely clocked me. No need to ting the bell thinks I.
I said "good morning" as I got up to him, and he just shouted "BELL!" at me. You can't ****ing help some people.
I've had that shouted at me before.
Yelled END back again.
Sorry, it didn't help, but intrusive thoughts won and made me feel better
I was riding towards an older gent the other day (on my bike with a bell actually) and he’d definitely clocked me. No need to ting the bell thinks I.
There was a guy along the local canal who'd say that too. He'd see you coming, step to one side then as you passed he'd say "you should ring your bell!"
Why?! WTF would I do that when you've seen me already and stood aside? I'll say thank you, I always do. But I'm not going to ring my bell when you already know I'm there.
There's a section near me where a BW turns in to a FP through a field that runs down to a farm. From there it's a tarmac track to the main road.
Been stopped on the road section and told I can't ride there because it's a footpath. Didn't seem to cut any ice when I told her I had pushed along the actual FP and what we were currently standing on was a road! She also declined my offer to look at my map and see she was standing on a road.
It was perfectly civil but she simply wouldn't believe actual evidence. Odd.
If it's the one I'm thinking of, @chestrockwell , the tarmac is FP all the way to the bottom where it meets the houses. I tend to have a sprint through there. 🙂
Had a period particularly after lockdowns started of unofficial no cycling signs appearing on bridleways around Surrey Hills, and a lot more huffy comments insisting shouldn't be there. Explain what a right of way means and get "well still shouldn't be allowed".
Had one on a track of no RoW, huffy guy saying "This Is a Footpath!". Aside from that not being a denial of access as a RoW is never an exclusion only a right, pointed out the footpath is over there and bridleway over there, and neither of us have an actual right.
Grumpy woman on Blackheath I stopped to let past did similar and went into a rant about "you people breaking the law". Meanwhile her dog off the lead during GnB season which is breaking the law, unlike trespass which is the worst I'm doing if even that (can argue common land rights).
Ranty people on Mickleham downs shouting shouldn't be riding there and they weren't even on the path we were on. Nat Trust sign at both ends saying cyclists and horses to the side exactly where we were.
Away from the Surrey Hills though I've found it's more pleasant. People saying hi and giving way even when I stop to let them pass, and in many cases I'm on no RoW, random common track, or even a footpath.
Common one I find also is if you're in a group, they wait for the group to pass and pick on the one at the back to have a moan at.
On my own I try to say hi and I'll say hi and smile to their dog if they've got one which often defuses a potential rant. Though some you can see they're not in a good mood so best to just move on and don't let them get started.
Partly playing devils advocate, but I don't think I've ever had someone properly kick off at me on a bridleway or even a footpath. One time the lead rider in our group went shooting round a blind bend and nearly hit a horse coming the opposite way, and the horse rider was justifiably upset.
I rode 30 miles on shared use paths, towpaths and bridleways yesterday - was busy with walkers, dog walkers, runners, and the occasional horse. In places there was no room to pass. We all just slowed down, were courteous, had a chat and waited our turn. I suspect that a lot of the people who kick off have had a bad experience with cyclists in the past, I go out of my way not to be that rider.
Also worth remembering that as the Highway Code has pedestrians as the most vulnerable road users, a similar point of view is probably needed off road.
A good tactic more cash but it doesn't always work<br /><br />I was riding down the water of leith . I have a bell and would usually use it however we were on a very narrow section and two older women were walking in front of us deep in conversation. they didn't notice us. I waited behind them until we reached a wider section. As I was close to them rather than the bell I said" excuse me - could we squeeze past please?" to which I got a mouthful of abuse. I waved the rest of the group thru and stopped to say to her " I waited until the wider section, I asked politely if we could get past. what else do you want me to do?" The mouthy one gave me another mouthful of abuse and her pal dragged her away looking embarrassed
I just do not get why folk do not have bells. Yes they are not always appropriate as in the above situation - you need to ring them when a good distance away not when close and also some folk will never be happy but 90% of the time it smooths the way and also gives you the moral high ground.
I am regularly thanked for using a bell
I have a bell, although I seem to recall the ability to hear higher pitched sounds like that goes with age, which may explain a lot with the retired red sock brigade. If I'm on a shared path on my road bike, which doesn't have a bell, I find shouting "ding ding" works surprisingly well and seems to cut off arguments at source.
Again - good points. MY mother cannot hear a bike bell. also a call of ding ding does seem to disarm folk - I use it sometimes
Ding ding ding ding ding ding generally aggravates most people.
Not IME - I get regularly thanked for using a bell and never have been called out for using it.<br /><br />
Not IME – I get regularly thanked for using a bell and never have been called out for using it.<br /><br />
It's happened to me more than once.
Schroedingers bell. Damned if you ding, damned if you don’t.
Miserable people will be miserable, bell or no bell
I like the Leslie Phillips bell above. Passed a picket the other day in Prestonpans. Apologised to them for not having a horn and went 'Beep Beep" as I passed.
I really don’t see what difference a bell vs “hi, excuse me” achieves. So I don’t have one.
with a bell you can alert folk from a much greater distance giving them time to react and it gives you the moral high ground
I ping my bell when 50 - 100 m behind them. I regularly get thanked for using it.
Get it all the time now and to be fair ive given up with the nicely nicely approach to these entitled b**lends .I used to smile and try to educate these halfwits .. Now i just treat people as im spoken to. Smiles and mornings for the nice people and both barrels for the pond life.
If it’s the one I’m thinking of, @chestrockwell , the tarmac is FP all the way to the bottom where it meets the houses. I tend to have a sprint through there.
Coming off Sharphaw? Pretty sure it was past the houses but could be wrong. I'll have to ride it again!
I get regularly thanked for using a bell and never have been called out for using it
When commuting down the WoL/Union Canal daily, I'd get a 50/50 response of "where's your bell" if I didn't have/use it and "don't ring that bell at me" when I did 🙂
What you want is a bulb horn. Nobody objects to one of those!
There was a guy along the local canal who’d say that too. He’d see you coming, step to one side then as you passed he’d say “you should ring your bell!”
This isn't the bloke I mentioned earlier near Marple is it?
slowoldman - I've come across this chap. I now ring the bell regardless of the person facing me or not. A group of male ramblers blocked my path last week, the third chap waved me through, then the last chap said where's your bell? I rode off dinging my bell several times. Mostly the people on the 2 Marple canal tow paths are jolly and say hello, it's usually day visitors or tourists who are grumpy and feel that every path around the countryside is for them and them alone.
The old folk can't always hear a bell - had the same on the Peak canal in Marple. Generally everyone is OK, but you'll occasionally get a grumpy barsteward.
“with a bell you can alert folk from a much greater distance giving them time to react and it gives you the moral high ground”
Then again, a bell is a predominantly high frequency sound so harder to hear for older ramblers with failing hearing (degeneration is usually like a high cut filter that drops in frequency over the years) and is also more easily masked by the white noise of the wind.
A lovely one yesterday at Holmbury. Quad bike came through CP1 and went off to the summit up the bridleway. To do some sort of photo shoot for the local hunt. Couldn't make it up.
Then again, a bell is a predominantly high frequency sound so harder to hear for older ramblers with failing hearing (degeneration is usually like a high cut filter that drops in frequency over the years) and is also more easily masked by the white noise of the wind.
My mum cannot hear them - I was out walking with her, heard a bell and moved over, she shouted at the poor cyclist "use your bell"!
Again why you do it from a distance away - it gives you chance to see if they react to you. Yes a bell is not a perfect solution but it really does help IME and gives you that moral high ground and there is no downside
I am a whistle a happy tune at a distance person on the lanes, and an excuse me on bridleways with a happy thanks and good morning on passing . Usually works pretty well.
It's always astonishing how often when walkers have seen you and moved to the side, they then decide at the last moment to all swap places and almost cause an accident. Puzzling
I always chuckle when one goes left and one goes right - they simultaneously realise the stupidity of going to seperate sides - and then both swap over to the opposite side at the same time!
I think an important thing to remember is that whilst WE all know that with our 4 pot brakes and tacky rubber tires, we can slow from 15mph to a stop in 2 metre - the majority of people we come across on the paths and trails do not.
Can't believe this has got to page 4 with no one recommending the Timber bell yet.
(I don't have one 😊)
You know that bit in the cafe in Dead Mans Shoes? Do that. It silences everyone very quickly and you can go about your day.
Can’t believe this has got to page 4 with no one recommending the Timber bell yet.
I've got Granite Cricket bells. Smaller than Timber, not so loud in cowbell mode which makes it less effective but can use it like a regular bell also.
Bells though are seen as a bit rude, kind of "get out of my way", but don't ring one and you get abuse. Ring one and they're deaf, get abuse. Someone sees you clearly approaching from a distance so you don't bother with the bell, get abuse.
Favourite I've had, "at least you have a bell". Yeah, thanks 🙄
Only got a bell thanks to Covid walkers that were all over the place. I keep it now mainly for the towpath but it's little use for the deaf, selectively deaf and headphone zombies.
I have been shouted at to slow down when I had halved my speed to the point I could stop virtually on the spot
Back in Covid days on the towpath I got people ranting that I should get off when passing them, despite wide path, going walking pace and saying hi 🤷♂️. One bloke tried to block the path.
Nothing said we couldn't ride there (shared use) during Covid restrictions. Though it was getting too busy so stopped using it until things calmed down.